2023 Presidency: Tinubu Picks Interim VP Candidate

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has picked Alhaji Kabir Ibrahim Masari as his running mate ahead of the 2023 general elections.
This move comes as part of the plan to beat the Friday June 17 deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to political parties to submit the names of presidential candidates and their running mates, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu has submitted the name of Ibrahim Kabir Masari.
It was, however, gathered that the name of Masari, who hails from the home State of President Muhammadu Buhari, would later be changed after the party stakeholders must have agreed on the suitable vice-presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
A party source confirmed that it was true that Tinubu has submitted the name of his running mate, but added that “consultation is still ongoing”
It was further gathered that the move by Tinubu and the ruling party was to meet the statutory requirement and beat the deadline set by the electoral umpire.
A party source said: “The name of the running mate submitted would be changed for another northern politician in the next few weeks. The one submitted is just holding the ticket in trust for another candidate to be picked by Tinubu and the party in the next few weeks.
“The candidate is still widely consulting, because the issues around the choice of running mate are many and he is yet to address them all. So, he is still asking for more time to look into it all – whether he is running a Muslim-Muslim or a Muslim-Christian ticket.
“He personally thinks there’s a need for more consultation and that’s what he is doing. The debate on the choice of deputy has assumed a level that is currently greater than the party and the candidate, hence the need for comprehensive consultation, which is what he is doing,” a reliable party source hinted last night.”

There have been strong opposition against the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket been mulled by the ruling party.
Though some names had been mentioned as possible running-mates to the former Lagos State governor, it was gathered that no compromise had been reached yet, as all the northern governors want the position.
The source added that if Tinubu has his way, he would have loved to pick the former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima as his running-mate, but he wanted the president and the governors to pick.
The source said: “All northern governors want it. If Asiwaju has his way, it will be Senator Kashim. But he wants the president and governors to pick for him.”
Asked why Tinubu does not want to pick his running mate himself, the source stressed he didn’t want to be a ‘winner takes it all.’
“He does not want to be the winner takes it all. You need to respect the President. PMB did not choose a VP for himself in 2015,” the source said.
One of the leaders of Tinubu Support Group, Hon. James Faleke was at the party secretariat on Wednesday, but his mission was not known.
But the source confirmed that Faleke was at the party secretariat to collect INEC’s form for the presidential and vice presidential candidates to be filled.
Asked if Faleke was there to submit the name of the running mate to Tinubu, the source insisted that no compromise had been reached in the issue of running mate.
“When the decision is made, it would be made known to all and the decision would be made tomorrow,” he added.